


of bright stars (and aching hearts)

by schuylerhamilton



Series: star crossed [2]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Fusion, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, The Force
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24005026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schuylerhamilton/pseuds/schuylerhamilton
Summary: “And inside you?” The old woman asked, and Tessa replied, “Inside me… the same Force.”The Rebel Alliance’s war against the Galactic Empire was coming to an end, and Tessa Virtue decided that now was the time to rescue Scott Moir. Of course, she would need to learn a little more about herself before saving her Captain.
Relationships: Scott Moir & Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir/Tessa Virtue
Series: star crossed [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731196
Kudos: 8





	of bright stars (and aching hearts)

**Author's Note:**

> May the Fourth be with you, everyone!
> 
> This work is inspired by Return of the Jedi (the third film in the original trilogy) and The Force Awakens (the first film in the sequel trilogy). If you’ve seen both films, you’ll notice I took some creative liberties and changed a few things, mostly in Jabba’s Palace and Maz’s castle. 
> 
> Everything in brackets and italics [like these] means that it is spoken in a different language that is not English. Jabba, Boushh, and other aliens at his palace communicate this way.
> 
> Enjoy!

**six months after cloud city**

Endor was so much different from Hoth and Cloud City. While Hoth was cold and uninhabited, and Cloud City was crowded and ominous, Endor was calm and full of life. Bugs hummed in the trees, and the forest seemed to go on forever.

Endor’s redwood forest was so big, in fact, that the Rebel Alliance had no problem setting up a secret base there. It was camouflaged in the trees, and was almost impossible to find, unless a person knew where they were going.

It was _nice_ , which was a word that Tessa never thought she’d be able to say during a war. The Rebellion’s fight against the Imperial Empire was slowly coming to an end, and with it came the prospect of finding Scott.

It had been six months since he had been put into carbonite and taken to Jabba the Hutt’s palace by Boba Fett, but the Rebel Alliance’s High Command still would not send out a search party for him. “It’s too dangerous, and we need to save our supplies for an actual member of the Alliance,” Mon Mothma, the leader of the Rebel Alliance, had told Tessa.

However, even the seemingly final words from the Rebellion’s leader weren’t enough to make Tessa back down. When she wasn’t discussing plans or dispatching troops with General Lauzon, Mon Mothma, and the rest of High Command, she spent her time researching the effects of carbonite on a person, and reading the specific instructions on how to remove them from the slab of carbon.

The effects of carbon freezing were grim. Even if the person was alive after being trapped in the slab, there was still a chance that they could die if they were encased in the carbon for too long. That made Tessa’s stomach turn. The thought of finding Scott after six months, only to realize that he was dead, was horrifying.

The other effect wasn’t so bad. Hibernation sickness could occur after the person was brought out of carbonite. Tessa learned that it was characterized by mild symptoms such as weakness, exhaustion, dehydration, and dizziness. In more serious cases, either temporary or permanent memory loss or blindness could occur. If the sickness was serious enough, and the person had been in carbonite for an extended period of time, they could die.

Despite the possibly terrible effects, removing a person from carbonite was fairly easy. She recalled that Patrick looked at an area on the right side of the black frame, which provided information such as body temperature and if the person was alive or not. The buttons next to the electronic screen provided a person with the option to undo the carbon freezing process, which would bring the person trapped in it out of the carbonite.

It was simple. All she had to do was find Jabba the Hutt’s palace, locate Scott, and press the _undo_ button, and he would be free.

The only hard part was the escape. Jabba was keeping Scott as a trophy of some sort, to warn other smugglers and criminals not to try to deceive him, unless they wanted a huge bounty on their head and a new carbonite slab to call home. If the mobster discovered that the smuggler and a princess were trying to escape, the consequences would be disastrous for them both.

A slight wind ruffled the loose tendrils of her hair, which was pulled into a bun. The numerous, large redwood trees in the forest provided an excellent cover for wind, but an occasional breeze would still pass through the base. Her camouflage poncho, black leggings, and brown boots managed to disguise her, just in case any Imperial soldiers had managed to find the base.

Tessa made her way through the dark, cool tunnels in the Rebel base, and walked into the command center. Only General Lauzon stood at the briefing table, his body hunched over as he read the newest report about the Rebel’s fight against the Empire.

“General,” She called out, and he turned around.

“Tessa, if this is about what I think it’s about-“

“I have a plan.” She stated, and the General raised an eyebrow.

“To rescue him?” He asked, and Tessa nodded, walking up to the briefing table and standing next to him.

Patrice Lauzon sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “I have no idea what this plan is, but if you want to get it through to High Command, you need to tell them the _real_ reason why you want to rescue Scott so badly.” He told her.

For the past six months, Tessa had requested that the Rebellion should invest precious time and supplies in rescuing Scott based on his leadership skills, his extremely fast spaceship, and the fact that he was a great asset to the Alliance. Every time, Mon Mothma had refused, citing that there seemed to be no personal reason for her, or anyone else, to care about the rescue of a non-Alliance member.

Tessa had not told anyone but the General about her and Scott’s relationship during the trip to Cloud City. But if she wanted to get through to High Command, and have an actual chance at rescuing Scott, she needed to tell Mothma the truth.

“Tell High Command _what_ , General Lauzon?”

The voice caused both the General and the princess to turn. Mon Mothma had entered the command center. The leader and creator of the Rebel Alliance wore a long, plain white dress, and her hair so short, it only reached her neck. She was a few years younger than General Lauzon, but despite her age, it was clear that the older man respected her greatly. She was commended for her authority and leadership across the galaxy.

“Oh, um,” The General stumbled over his words a bit, and gestured to Tessa. “She would like to speak with you, about something regarding a… personal reason.” He finished, and patted Tessa lightly on the shoulder as he moved to exit the command center.

Once Mon Mothma and the princess were alone, the leader gestured for Tessa to sit down in one of the chairs by the briefing table. She did, and Mothma followed suit.

“So what is it that you wish to discuss with me, Your Highness?” Mon Mothma asked, and Tessa cringed slightly at the use of her royal title. She would’ve preferred if Mothma simply addressed her as Tessa.

“Well,” Tessa began, straightening up a bit. “I just want to say that I haven’t been completely honest with you about my reasons for my insistence that Captain Moir be rescued.” She looked up, expecting Mothma to ask her to explain, but instead, the older woman smiled slightly.

“You love him.” She stated, and Tessa’s eyes grew wide. She wasn’t expecting her to guess correctly.

“How did you-“ She started to ask, but Mothma cut her off.

“I’ve seen a woman in love, especially during wartime, many times.” The Rebel Alliance leader told her. “I’ve even experienced it myself. And you were so passionate about wanting to rescue him that I knew there must have been another reason why you wanted him back.”

Tessa nodded slightly and opened her mouth to speak, but Mon Mothma spoke again.

“Do you have a plan?” She asked simply, and Tessa nodded.

“I’ve done research on how to properly undo the carbon freezing process, and I’ve studied the effects of hibernation sickness,” Tessa said. “But I’m not sure how I’m going to, well, get in or out of the palace.” She shrugged, and the older woman leaned back in her chair, clearly deep in thought.

“Maz.” Mothma said finally.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Maz Kanata.” Mon Mothma said. “She’s a former smuggler and so-called ‘pirate queen’ who collects trinkets and collectibles from all across the galaxy, and stores them in her castle. Recently, she told me that she knew of a crime syndicate who killed a bounty hunter, Boushh, and they brought his armor for her to collect. His death is not widely known in the galaxy, and Jabba the Hutt definitely does not know about it.”

“Ok…?” Tessa had no idea where the other woman was going with this.

“What I need you to do is go to Maz’s castle, get the armor, and impersonate Boushh in Jabba’s palace.” Mothma said. “You’ll need a bounty to try to sell to him. Do you have anyone in the Alliance that you can trust, who could be worth something?”

She thought the question over, and considered her options. There were a few other people in the Alliance that she trusted, and she knew that none of them were worth very much. But… there was always C-3PO and R2-D2.

“You could take your droid friends,” Mothma said, almost like she was reading her mind. “The little one is probably worth quite a lot, since he was with you when you escaped from the _Star Destroyer_.”

Tessa nodded.

“And the golden one is a translator, isn’t he? You’ll need him, because Boushh didn’t speak English.”

Tessa frowned slightly. “Well, I don’t speak… whatever language Boushh spoke.”

“There’s a speech scrambler in his mask. It allowed him to change his speech and voice type. C-3PO will know how to translate it.” Mothma said.

The princess nodded. “Ok.”

“I’ll convince the rest of High Command to support the mission,” Mon said. “Battles are calming down, and the Empire’s numbers are dwindling. We’re safe here. And what you said before is true: the Captain is a great asset to our Alliance, even if he’s not an actual member. Considering all that, I can’t think of any reason why they wouldn’t approve of this rescue.”

Tessa smiled gratefully at the leader of the Rebellion.

Mothma cleared her throat slightly before continuing. “Maz’s castle is on Takodana, which is in the northeast. Since you don’t know how to fly a ship, I’ll have a pilot take you there. Get Boushh’s armor and come back here. The Alliance will be watching you closely when you get to Jabba’s, just to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

Mon Mothma got up and dismissed her, and Tessa breathed a sigh of relief.

She’d get him back, she was sure of it. After six months, he’d finally be free from that damned carbonite.

* * *

Takodana was beautiful. The planet reminded Tessa of Endor, with its huge trees and mountains. Maz Kanata’s castle sat next to a large, glittering lake.

The pilot who had transported her here waved as Tessa set off towards the castle. He would stay until she got Boushh’s armor, and then the duo would head back to Endor to await Mothma’s further instructions.

The castle itself was gigantic, with several levels made of stone. Despite its aged appearance, the castle was actually extremely technologically advanced, with multiple traps, access codes, and deep, dark cellars that a person could get lost in if they weren’t careful.

The security was important, because Maz’s large collection of trinkets and rare items needed to be stored in a safe place. The pirate queen had items dating back centuries, some of which were the last of their kind in existence.

The cobblestone steps leading up to the entrance to the castle were cracked, and some weeds grew between them. Tessa stepped gingerly onto the steps, and slowly pushed open the door.

It was as if everything, and everyone, stopped to look at her. Lively music was playing somewhere in the background, and glasses were tinkling throughout the room, but everything else was quiet.

The interior to the castle was just as big as she’d thought it would be, and it was crawling with droids, humans, and aliens, all of which she assumed to be smugglers or pirates, or simply people who went to Maz’s for a source of entertainment.

The dimly lit hall was filled with tables and chairs, and on one side Tessa noticed a large, gray alien working behind a bar. All eyes were on her as she walked by the tables, and went to ask the bartender where exactly Maz Kanata was.

“Is that the Princess?”

“I heard she died on one of those nasty _Star Destroyers_.” “Nah, she escaped Darth Vader.”

“What’s she doin’ here?”

Tessa tried to ignore the whispers and wandering eyes as she politely asked the bartender where Maz was. The alien looked at her as if she’d grown three heads, or had just escaped from Darth Vader.

(Well, she _had_ escaped from Darth Vader. The escape had happened almost a year ago, though.)

“She’s, uh, she’s downstairs. She’ll be up in a minute.” The alien choked out, pointing towards a large wooden door near the back of the hall.

“Ok.” She said simply, finding an empty wooden stool near the counter and claiming it.

The silence soon turned back into lively chatter, and Tessa was able to relax.

After a few minutes, the back door opened, and she found herself staring at a four foot tall, orange colored… being. Mon Mothma had neglected to tell her that Maz was an alien, Tessa realized, and she knew it would be impolite to stare.

Still, the pirate queen and owner of the castle was unlike any specimen she’d ever seen, and being a princess, Tessa had seen and met quite a few beings from quite a few planets. Maz was strangely humanoid, with burnt-orange skin and brown eyes, which were so small that she required huge goggles that helped her see. Her shirt, jacket, pants, and shoes were all the same dark brown color as the door she had just walked through.

The alien seemed to know exactly who was here for her, and confidently made her way towards Tessa. Maz reached up and adjusted her goggles, and her small eyes grew bigger as she stared at Tessa.

“Mothma told me about you,” She said, her lips curling into a small smile. “You’re the princess, yes?”

Tessa could only nod. She’d expected Maz’s voice to be high pitched, but it wasn’t.

“Come, come,” She gestured for Tessa to follow her, and the duo walked to the doors that the alien had just emerged from.

The aged wooden floors turned into cobblestone bricks, and in front of them was a long, dimly lit, stone hallway. Flickering lamps lined the walls, providing the only source of light.

“You’re here for Boushh’s disguise, aren’t you?” Maz asked. “Why?”

“I thought Mon Mothma told you.” Tessa narrowed her eyes.

“She did, but I would like to hear from you. Tell me why you need it.” The old alien said, and Tessa realized that this was probably some weird security issue. Maz wanted to be sure that Tessa was really the princess before granting her access to such an important item.

“Um, well,” She fumbled, trying to find a way to explain. “Scott and I were on Cloud City-“

“Scott _who_?” The alien interjected, adjusting her goggles so her eyes completely filled the frames.

“Moir,” Tessa clarified, clearing her throat. Another security question, no doubt. “He’s a smuggler. We were on Cloud City, on Bespin, and um, Darth Vader set a trap for him. Scott was encased in carbonite, and Boba Fett took him to Jabba the Hutt’s Palace.” She swallowed nervously, awaiting Maz’s response.

“Do you even know if he’s alive?” Maz asked, staring at Tessa with her huge, magnified eyes.

“I- yes.”

“How do you know?” She asked curiously, clearly expecting another simple answer along the lines of _His status said ALIVE on the carbonite frame_.

“I felt it.” Tessa responded simply, and Maz’s eyes seemed to get even bigger, if that was even possible.

The alien paused, and opened her mouth, trying to think of a response. She closed it, and sighed.

“Before I give you Boushh’s disguise, I think we need to talk.”

“About what?”

“When I was younger, _much_ younger,” Maz began.. “I heard the saying, ‘ _If you live long enough, you see the same eyes in different people_.’ Naturally, of course, I thought it was all a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, you know? Just a silly saying.” She let out a small chuckle, before becoming serious. “But, now…” She paused, looking up at Tessa with those huge, magnified eyes.

“Child, I’ve seen your eyes, many times before.”

“W-what?” Maz had lived for centuries, Tessa knew. She’d experienced the rise of the Empire. But the thought of the old alien somehow _seeing_ her eyes multiple times before her shook her to her core.

“Not in a literal sense,” Maz snorted. “But…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “I am no Jedi, but I know the Force. And I believe you, my dear girl, have it.”

“The Force?” Tessa swallowed. She’d heard of it before, in the prayers and sayings her father used to recite, but she never knew exactly what it was.

_I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me. And I fear nothing, for all is as the Force wills it._

“Yes.” The alien responded, and recited the same saying that Tessa had thought of while escaping Cloud City six months ago. “Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. And death, yet the Force.”

Tessa nodded, choosing to look down at the floor. She studied a crack in the cobblestones, and kicked a small pebble with her boot. “What is it?” She asked quietly.

“Ah.” Maz smiled. “I think it’s easier to demonstrate. The Force is complicated, and can be quite confusing to those who are untrained.”

Maz cleared her throat and closed her eyes. She breathed deeply, and it was almost like she was meditating. Slowly, she reached out with one small, orange arm, and reached for something that wasn’t there.

Tessa was confused, but then, she noticed that a moss-covered rock, about the size of her fist, that sat at the end of the long hallway, had begun to _move_. It was shaking slightly. Maz moved her hand upwards, and, slowly, the rock rose until it was a few feet off of the ground.

Tessa couldn’t say anything, she was at a loss for words. Mouth agape, she watched as Maz brought her hand in towards her chest, and the rock floated towards her. She pushed her hand downwards, and the rock dropped onto the stone floor.

The alien let out a breath and opened her eyes. “ _That_ is the Force. It is simply an energy field created by all living things, and it surrounds and penetrates them. It binds the galaxy together. It’s death and decay, that manages to feed new life. The Force is both warm and cold, peace and violence, life and death. It is continuous exchange between the living and the dead. Everything is connected though the Force.” She explained. “Some want to harness the power of the Force and bend it to their will, like Darth Vader. They are selfish. Others choose to become one with the Force, and use it for good. They are called the Jedi, and they are selfless.”

The princess tried to process this new information. Suddenly, her experiences with headaches made sense. She was simply feeling Vader and Scott’s life forms through the Force. It had connected her to them.

“So your confidence that the smuggler was alive was just you sensing his life form through the Force.” Maz told her. “And when I lifted the rock, I was simply feeling the rock’s form though the Force. It allowed me to move it, because I felt it.”

“Oh.” Tessa said quietly. “Can you just… move things? Is that all?” She asked curiously.

Maz chuckled. “Oh, no. Force users also have a heightened sense of intuition, and they can sense things before they happen. They can use a mind trick to get people to do what they want. Jedi don’t use it very often, but it’s very simple. You just need to say the words, and push the thought into the other person’s brain.”

“What?!”

“This will be very helpful when you’re in Jabba’s Palace, trust me.” The orange alien responded, ignoring the confused look on the princess’ face. “Allow me to demonstrate. This won’t hurt, don’t worry.”

Maz took a deep breath and slowly waved her hand in front of Tessa’s face. “ _Turn around_ ,” She said, placing meaning into each word. “ _Face the other way. There’s nothing here for you at this end of the hallway._ ”

Tessa felt herself turn around, and her mouth started moving on its own. “ _There’s nothing here for me at this end of the hallway._ ”

She turned to face the alien, clearly in shock. “How do I – what was _that_?” She gasped, and Maz only smiled.

“Try it yourself.” Maz responded, grinning. “Make me turn around.”

Tessa nodded and took a deep breath, then slowly waved her hand in front of Maz’s face, trying to copy her actions. “Turn _around,_ ” She said forcefully. “Face the other way. There’s nothing here for you at the end of this hallway.”

Maz didn’t move, and Tessa sighed in defeat. The mind trick didn’t work.

“Try again,” The alien encouraged. “This time, _feel_ everything around you. Reach out, find me, and turn me around.”

Tessa let out a shaky breath, and thought of the stone hallway, the flickering lamps, and Maz. She thought of the other end of the hallway, that led to Boushh’s armor — her disguise — and she thought of turning, Turning, turning, turning. She envisioned Maz doing a 180 degree rotation, turning her back to her. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and waved her hand in front Maz’s face. She felt… _electric_. Something was burning inside of her, and all around her.

The Force.

“ _Turn around_ ,” She told the alien, confidence running through her veins. “ _Face the other way. There’s absolute nothing here for you at the end of this hallway_.”

To her surprise, and relief, Maz turned around. “ _There’s absolutely nothing here for me at the end of this hallway_.”

Maz turned to face her, a small smile spreading across her face.

“I- I felt something,” Tessa told her. “It was, like, all around me. Something that was connecting everything, A... Force.”

“And inside you?” The old woman asked, and Tessa replied, “Inside me… the same Force.”

“And _that_ is the lesson,” Maz said. “The Force connects everything. Use it when you need help. Become one with it, and _feel_ it.”

She nodded. “Ok.”

“Come along,” The alien said. “It’s time to get Boushh’s armor.”

They walked down the hallway, their footsteps echoing as they stepped on the stone floor.

When they reached a stone door with a rather large padlock on it, Maz reached into her jacket pocket and removed a key. After she inserted it into the padlock, the door swung open, and Tessa found herself staring at a large array of outfits. Some were large, clearly made for non-human species, and some were small. They were in various states of wear; some were in perfect, pristine condition, while others sported burn marks and tears.

Maz led her deeper into the room, and brought out a wooden chest. She unlocked it, and grabbed the contents that laid inside. There was a black and brown helmet that strangely jutted out in the front, and Tessa guessed that was where the speech scrambler was. Maz handed her a dark brown and tan shawl, and dark brown, tight pants, almost like leggings. She grabbed a large blaster, a bandolier with bullets inside, and a small, metal ball.

“What’s that?” Tessa asked, pointing at the shiny metal ball. It had a red button on the side.

“Ah,” Maz said. “That’s a thermal detonator. It’s an explosive, and it can only be turned off by whoever turns it on. You can’t use the Force to get out of everything, you know.” She commented, grinning.

She grabbed the disguise and the weapons and put it all back inside the box, before locking it, and handing the key to Tessa. “You should be good to go, dear. Good luck.”

Tessa thanked the small, orange alien and grabbed the box, exiting the room and starting her trek down the long, dim hallway.

“Oh, and Tessa?” Maz called. The princess turned around. “May the Force be with you.”

Tessa smiled.

* * *

“Convince Jabba to take these droids as a bounty. Say they’re important.” Mothma told her, as Tessa pulled on the tall, tan boots that went with her disguise. “His guards will take them to his trophy room, and that night, you’ll get them out, along with Scott.”

The princess nodded. The plan was simple, but foolproof. And if something went awry, well, she had the Force on her side.

And a thermal detonator.

And a blaster.

Mothma had not been surprised to hear about her Force discovery in Maz Kanata’s castle. “That alien can sense anything,” she’d told Tessa after she returned from Takodana. “And she’s always right.”

The _Falcon_ sat in the ship hangar, where it had landed when Tessa and Patrick had arrived on Endor. As they stood by the entry ramp, Mon Mothma squeezed Tessa’s shoulder reassuringly. “Tatooine is very hot, and it’s possible to get sick from the heat. We’ll check to see if the two of you are feeling okay after you return.”

Tessa nodded. The feeling of the blaster on her back and the bandolier running from her right shoulder to her left hip was a foreign one, and she shifted uncomfortably.

“Good luck.” The Rebellion leader said, smiling. Tessa’s lips turned upward into something resembling a smile, or maybe a mild grimace, and she boarded the ship.

Thankfully, the trip to Tatooine was an uneventful one. The pilot was all business, thankfully, and Tessa learned that he had prior experience with flying ships that were similar to the _Falcon,_ which put her worries of a crash or failed escape at ease. She was still annoyed with C-3PO’s mindless chatter, and R2-D2 let out a irritated beep every time the golden droid made an unnecessary comment.

She couldn’t say she wasn’t nervous. The things she’d heard about Jabba the Hutt were… not great, and the thought of messing up a mission in front of a giant green slug, who also happened to be a legendary crime lord, made her cringe.

She could die. _Scott_ could die, or he could very well already be dead.

As the _Millennium Falcon_ landed, Tessa realized that the cool, green forests of Endor could not be more different from the hot, course sand dunes of Tatooine. The _entire_ planet was covered with sand and rocks, with small canyons here and there. The two suns made the planet extremely warm, and Tessa felt sweat run down the back of her neck as she walked down the exit ramp. The pilot waved goodbye, and she shot him a small, grateful smile in return.

The disguise’s dark colors only made her sweat even more, and as she and the droids made their way towards Jabba’s Palace, she found herself hoping that the interior of the crime lord’s residence would be significantly cooler than the outdoors.

The desert seemed to go on forever, and there was no sign of Jabba’s Palace. However, Tessa knew it was nearby. She sighed and continued to walk, slowing down a bit to allow C-3PO and R2-D2 to catch up to her.

“Your Highness, I cannot help but wonder if we are going the wrong way.” C-3PO commented as they trekked across the sand dunes. Tessa fought the urge to roll her eyes; she knew exactly where they were going. As the trio reached the top of a sand dune, she could see a rock formation in the distance, and a large, rather circular building sat at the top of it.

Jabba’s Palace.

It blended in almost perfectly with the orange and yellow terrain around it, and it certainly looked weathered.

Tessa remembered Maz’s words. _Reach out, feel everything around you. Become one with the Force._

She took a deep breath, and slipped the mask on. The small, tinted window that covered her eyes made it seem like she was wearing sunglasses, and Tessa was a bit grateful for that. The blinding yellow and orange sands that reflected the twin suns’ rays had not been very kind to her vision.

The princess and her two droids approached the massive, rusty iron door that served as the entrance to Jabba the Hutt’s palace. After looking around for any kind of listening device, and seeing that there wasn’t one, Tessa knocked on the door.

A small hatch in the middle of the door opened, and a spidery mechanical arm, with a large electronic eyeball at the end, popped out, and inspected the disguised princess and the droids.

 _[Ah, Boushh, you’ve brought a new bounty!]_ It exclaimed in a foreign dialect that Tessa only vaguely recognized. _[The mighty Jabba the Hutt will see you soon.]_ The eye darted back into the door, and the hatch slammed shut.

The door, letting out a horrific metallic screech, slowly rose, allowing the trio access into the palace.

Tessa breathed in deeply, allowing herself to feel everything around her, and become one with the Force. She reached out, and sensed that there was a long hallway in front of her, that led to Jabba’s throne room. She detected a large amount of life. The throne room was full of living beings, both human and alien. And below the throne room…

The trophy room. She swallowed, and slowly came back from the Force.

The dark, sandy hallway stretched out before her, and Tessa walked in. C-3PO and R2-D2 lagged behind as she approached the guards that stood outside the throne room. They weren’t human, and looked like big, green boars. They were Gamorrean guards.

She waved her hand in front of their faces, and said slowly, [ _I am here to deliver a bounty. Pay no attention to me._ ] The deep, scrambled voice that came out of the helmet was not her own, and it wasn’t even English. The guards seemed to understand the foreign dialect, however, because they grunted in response.

“They said that they will not pay any attention to you,” C-3PO supplied helpfully, and she breathed a sigh of relief. The mind trick had worked.

She entered the dimly lit, sandy chamber, only to be approached by another non-human being. A tall, pale human-like alien, with two long tentacles protruding from his skull, approached her.

[ _Ah, Boushh_ ,] The alien said. He smiled wickedly, showing off a set of razor sharp teeth. [ _Jabba will see you now_.] The alien and the disguised bounty hunter made their way across the room to a platform, where Jabba the Hutt was. Music filled the room, and the aliens and humans danced, paying no attention to the bounty hunter and the droids.

Tessa wrinkled her nose in disgust as she stared at the leader of the galactic underworld. Through her helmet, she could see that Jabba was a huge, repulsive green slug. His maniacal grin only widened when he laid eyes on the bounty hunter and the two droids.

[ _Thank you, Bib Fortuna_ ,] Jabba gurgled, waving the pale alien away.

Tessa stared at the crime lord, before saying, [ _Jabba, I have come for the bounty on these two droids. The smaller one was with Princess Tessa when she escaped from the Star Destroyer, and the larger one was with the princess and the smuggler Scott Moir when Lord Vader caught them._ ]

C-3PO translated quickly, and Jabba narrowed his eyes. [ _I will gladly pay you the reward of twenty-five thousand._ ] He grumbled.

[ _I want fifty thousand. No less._ ] Tessa countered, sweating under the disguise. She was nervous. If Jabba refused, she’d have to take matters into her own hands and use the thermal detonator. The small metal ball sat in her pocket, ready for use.

“Oh! Um, sir, Boushh wants fifty thousand, no less.” C-3PO informed the slug, and Tessa could detect a hint of nervousness in the droid’s robotic voice.

Jabba mumbled something in response, clearly very irritated. C-3PO turned towards Tessa, saying, “The mighty Jabba asks why he must pay fifty thousand.”

Clenching her jaw, Tessa reached into her pocket and pulled out the thermal detonator. The music stopped, and the dancing crowd gasped.

“Because he’s holding a thermal detonator!” C-3PO cried, and the crowd backed away. Jabba shriveled up, shocked.

Tessa calmly pressed the red button on the detonator, and the metal sphere began to glow. A hush fell over the room, and Jabba began to laugh. [ _This bounty hunter is my kind of scum, fearless and innovative._ ] He gurgled.

The disguised princess was still waiting for a response, however. Jabba sighed, and muttered something. C-3PO translated, saying, “Jabba offers the sum of thirty-five thousand.” The droid paused, clearly nervous. “And I suggest you take it,” He added.

[ _Fine._ ] She responded, and C-3PO cried, “Boushh agrees!”

The crowd of monsters cheered, and the room returned to its full noisy pitch. Tessa pressed the red button again, and the thermal detonator stopped glowing.

She’d done it. The plan was working.

Two guards hurriedly took the droids away, to the trophy room where Jabba kept all of his bounties. Tessa leaned against the tan wall, sighing in relief. A green blur caught her eye from across the room, and she watched as Boba Fett, the bounty hunter that Vader had hired to find Scott, nodded at her coolly. She nodded back. _If only he knew that I’m not actually Boushh!_ She thought, stifling a laugh.

If the legendary bounty hunter found out she was here, at Jabba’s Palace, it would mean certain death for her. For all she knew, Fett still thought that she and Patrick were trapped in Cloud City, and would never leave.

She surveyed the party, wishing that night would come quicker, so she’d finally be able to rescue the droids and the love of her life.

* * *

Night fell, and the desert’s temperature dropped, much to Tessa’s relief. She was sweating under the helmet and the rest of the disguise, but she couldn’t take it off. The party-goers were now asleep, practically draped on top of one another. Jabba’s snores echoed throughout the room. The moonlight and the dim lamps provided the only source of light, and Tessa slowly crept through the throne room, towards the hallway.

She was prepared to use to Force again, to mind-trick the guards and anyone else in the palace if they found out who she really was. And if that failed, she still had a blaster, and the unused thermal detonator. She’d make it out of here alive.

Thankfully, the guards were not stationed at the entrance to the throne room. She spotted a stairway to her right that lead to the trophy room, no doubt.

She tried to reach out through the Force to detect Scott’s life form, but there were so many living beings in the palace that she wasn’t sure if she sensed him or not. Taking a deep breath, Tessa began to walk down the stairs, careful not to make a sound.

Her legs shook slightly as she descended down the stairs, into the dark trophy room. Her boots scraped against the sandy steps, and her helmet made contact with something metal — a soft tinkling noise filled the room, and Tessa almost jumped back in shock.

It was a wind chime.

Who the hell would put a goddamn wind chime in a underground palace, in a nearly uninhabited desert?

Jabba would, apparently.

The room she was standing in was filled with, for the lack of a better word, trophies. Alien heads and scattered droid parts were everywhere, and Tessa spotted R2-D2 and C-3PO together in a corner – thankfully, they were intact.

She stepped deeper into the room, and noticed a strange orange light emitting from around a corner. She followed it, and-

 _Oh_.

There he was.

She almost whimpered in relief as she gazed at the carbonite slab, the orange light above it causing it to glow slightly. His hands, while still encased in carbonite, were pushed out of the frame, and she slowly reached up and wove her fingers through his. The carbonite was cold, but she didn’t care.

The same distressed, pained look was still on his face, and it broke her heart.

She quickly checked the screen and the numerous buttons on the side of the frame, and sighed in relief.

_Status: ALIVE_

Her finger hovered over the undo button, and she slowly pressed it.

The carbonite glowed on its own now, the dull gray color being replaced by a blinding orange and white — it almost reminded her of London’s destruction, but she quickly pushed that thought out of her head — until the weak, damp form of Scott Moir emerged and promptly fell to the floor, facedown in the sand. After six months spent in carbonite, his white shirt and black pants were dirty and streaked with gray. His hair was matted and wet.

She didn’t have the chance to catch him, and was unsure if she’d even be able to support his weight while wearing the disguise.

She held her breath and waited. He twitched slightly, and she slowly reached out to touch his back.

He groaned, and Tessa hoisted him up into a sitting position.

“I- I’m blind- I can’t see-“ He mumbled. His voice was scratchy, and he was clearly dehydrated.

“I know. Your eyesight will return soon.” She reassured him, and her scrambled voice sounded foreign to her own ears.

“W-where am I?” He asked, shaking. He was so _weak_ , and she knew that the carbonite sickness was affecting him. The blindness, the shaking, the memory loss… all of them were telltale signs of carbonite sickness.

“Jabba’s Palace.” She answered, and he shuddered.

“W-who is this? Who’re you?” He asked, reaching out to touch the mask. His hands groped it, before his arms fell back to his sides.

She reached up and removed her mask. Seeing him, in the flesh, with her own two eyes, was almost too much for her to handle. She’d searched for him for so long...

“Someone who loves you,” She choked out, and she could’ve sworn his face lit up at the sound of her voice. Her real voice, not the strange one from the helmet.

“Tessa,” He breathed, and she bit back a sob. His entire hand reached out to grab her face, and he fumbled a bit as he moved his fingers to caress her cheek.

“Hi,” She whispered, before leaning down and kissing him.

She held him softly, cradling his head against her chest as he shivered, clearly trying to adjust to his (hopefully) temporary circumstances.

As much as she would have liked to be with him, to comfort him, she knew that they had to get out of the palace, and _fast_.

“I’ve got to get you out of here,” She said quickly, trying to help him up. “There’s not much time.”

He stood on shaky legs, leaning against her. With one hand on his chest, and the other wrapped around his back and holding her helmet, Tessa and Scott stumbled through the trophy room and over to C-3PO and R2-D2. She quickly reactivated the droids, and warned them both to be quiet.

The quartet made their way up to the hallway, with R2-D2 using the jetpacks on the bottom of his legs to slowly fly up the stairs.

The hallway was just as dark and deserted as she’d left it, and there were no guards in sight. Tessa breathed a sigh of relief. Quickly, she reached out using the Force, trying to detect if anyone was awake. Thankfully, it seemed that everyone was still asleep, including Jabba. Scott stiffened next to her, as if he was trying to figure out why they had stopped. She patted his back softly, and started walking again. All was quiet in the palace as the two humans and the two droids crept down the hallway, towards the exit.

To her surprise, the rusty metal door was open, just slightly. She suspected it was to allow the cool night air to seep through the palace, cooling it down. The opening was just tall enough that they (with the exception of R2-D2, whose small, metal frame only came up to Tessa’s waist) would just have to bend over a little in order to exit.

Despite the favorable circumstances, she was still nervous. Was it the adrenaline, her newfound Force powers, or her relief over rescuing Scott that was causing her to suddenly be so anxious? She didn’t know. She felt, somehow, that something had changed. Something huge had happened, she sensed it. She swallowed, trying to calm herself down.

“Tessa?” Scott croaked beside her, shaking her out of her thoughts. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” She whispered. “Lean over a little, please, the door isn’t open all the way.”

R2 glided through the exit, leaving the trio behind. They quickly followed, stepping into the cool night air. It was dark, but the glow from R2-D2’s buttons and C-3PO’s glowing eyes provided some light. They trekked through the desert, occasionally stopping so Scott could rest and Tessa could check that no one was following them. They said nearly nothing, except for the occasional “ _Are you feeling okay?_ ” and “ _No one’s following us._ ” It was strange, and it reminded Tessa of their first few days on the _Falcon_ during their journey to Cloud City. There was no talk, just… awkward silence. It was tense, almost, but that tension was nothing like it had been on Hoth. They weren’t dancing around each other and avoiding theirs feelings this time, they were just fragile. _The past six months have been horrible_ , she thought— _Wait._

Scott didn’t even know it had been six months. He was probably under the impression that he’d been frozen for a few weeks, tops. How was she going to tell him that he’d been gone, and she’d been searching for him, for half a year?

Thankfully, she could see the lights on the _Falcon_ glowing in the distance, and the quartet picked up their pace. He’d be able to rest there, and hopefully she’d be able to tell him what had happened.

After a few more minutes, they reached the ship, and boarded. The _Falcon_ took off quickly, and the ship flew into hyperspace.

“Oh, that’s _bright_ ,” Scott commented, referring to the interior lights. He stumbled slightly, and Tessa caught him.

“You can see?” She asked hurriedly, hoping that the carbonite sickness was wearing off.

“Eh, kinda.” He said, squinting. “Just shapes and stuff. Everything’s blurry.” He gestured vaguely at the ceiling, almost hitting Tessa in the face. She dodged his hand and grabbed him firmly by the shoulders.

“Oh. Okay.” She said. “You need to sit down. Come here,” She led him through the _Falcon_ , towards his bunkroom. She steered him towards the bed, and he sat down.

“Kinda reminds you of a few weeks ago, doesn’t it?” He chuckled quietly, before coughing. “Except this time, _I’m_ sitting on the bed, and you’re the one doing all the work.”

“What?” She asked softly, a bit confused, before it hit her. He was talking about when he repaired the lightbulb… _six months ago_. “ _Oh._ Oh, Scott, no.”

She helped him lie down on the bed, and now it was his turn to be confused. “Tess…” He asked hesitantly. “How long has it been?”

She could lie to him. She could, and it would be easy, she thought. She could blurt out a simple “ _Oh, it was a little longer than a few weeks”_ or a quick, breezy “ _Just a month, that’s all,”_ and pretend everything was fine.

Except everything was _not_ fine, and she didn’t want to lie to him. Not at all. So she steadied herself, took a deep breath, and responded, “Six months.”

Tessa didn’t know what she expected his reaction to be. He certainly wouldn’t be _angry_ , she was sure of that, but she knew he also wouldn’t take it well.

He sucked in a breath, wincing slightly, and whispered, “ _Jesus_ , Tessa.”

“I’m sorry.” She whispered. “I tried to convince High Command, but they said that you weren’t their priority.”

Scott snorted. “They’re right,” He commented, and she turned her head towards him in shock. “I’m _your_ priority, sweetheart.” He grinned, and she rolled her eyes.

“You’re ridiculous,” She laughed, and he shrugged, before beginning to cough.

Scott cleared his throat. “I am,” He said weakly. He tried to smile, but she could tell that he was exhausted and in pain. She squeezed his hand and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“Rest,” She whispered. “I’ll go get the medical supplies. They’ll help you recover.” He nodded, and she left.

She waited until the door was closed and she knew he had fallen asleep before finally allowing herself to cry.

Rescuing him had been _so_ hard. Why was _everything_ so hard? The war had pretty much taken every single thing from her: her home, her people, her family… the people and places that she loved. She’d received blow after blow, and yet she had never allowed herself to break down. She remembered that the Rebels had called her “Ice Princess” on Hoth, because she was all business and had the biggest resting bitch face that any of them had ever seen, apparently.

The nickname stung, a little, but at the time, they had a point. She had engrossed herself in work, to the point where she barely cared about anything or anyone else. (Well, except for maybe Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin. If she could go back in time and punch them in the face, she would _gladly_ do so. She hated those men with every fiber of her being.)

But then Scott had somehow wormed his way into her life, and all that had changed. She’d spent months trying to deny her feelings for him, and told herself that he was just annoying, he was a _scoundrel_ who had no place in the Rebellion, until one day she realized that that wasn’t true. Not at all.

On Endor, the Rebels didn’t call her out for her resting bitch face or yell at her to take a break; instead, they tiptoed around her, like they were afraid that they’d… hurt her. None of them, except for General Lauzon, Mon Mothma, and _possibly_ the pilot currently flying the _Falcon_ , had any idea what had happened to her on Cloud City, but she didn’t doubt that they had made their own assumptions about why she seemed to be so closed off and silent on the base.

She sniffled, trying to blink away the tears. Her radio beeped, and she froze, hesitant to answer.

“Your Highness, this is Mon Mothma.” Mothma’s voice crackled over the static, and Tessa heard her say, “Are you alright?”

She cleared her throat and answered, “Yes, we’re alright.”

“Good. You’re close enough to Endor that I wanted to let you know that we _will_ be doing a mission debriefing when you return. And, um,” The Rebellion leader paused before continuing, “There’s something very important that we need to tell you about.”

“Ok.”

She heard Mothma say goodbye, and then she turned off the radio with a _click_.

* * *

“Where did you go?” General Lauzon asked her, his hands folded in front of him on the metal table. Mothma sat next to him, staring at Tessa from across the table. She and Scott had arrived on Endor, and she had gone to the mission debriefing, while he had been put on strict orders to rest and relax.

“Tatooine. To Jabba the Hutt’s Palace.” She answered. She knew that debriefings were a standard procedure, one that was repeated every time a mission was completed, but still, she couldn’t help but think it was a bit of a silly question. Of _course_ they would know where she went.

“Why did you go there?”

She sighed. “To rescue Captain Scott Moir from carbonite.”

“Who did you take with you?”

“C-3PO and R2-D2.”

“Why did you take them?”

The questions continued, and she answered them all as quickly as possible. She was tired, and bored, because the questions were all so _predictable,_ and she just wanted to check on Scott, who was in the medical center—

“What did you do with Maz Kanata?” Mon Mothma asked, raising an eyebrow.

Well. _That_ was quite a question. Of course, Mothma knew what she was going to say, but General Lauzon had no idea about Tessa’s Force sensitivity.

“She offered me a disguise, so I could sneak into Jabba’s Palace.” Tessa answered, unsure of how to continue. What would she even say? “ _Oh, she told me I was Force-sensitive,”_ was almost _too_ straightforward. “ _I learned how to make a rock float,”_ was downright ridiculous. _“I learned how to mind trick someone_ ,” was suspicious. “And she explained a confusing question I had about something.” She said.

“And what question would that be?” The General asked her, and she swallowed nervously. The straightforward explanation would have to do.

“She… she told me I-I’m Force Sensitive.” Tessa blurted, and General Lauzon’s eyebrows raised in shock.

“ _Oh_.” He replied.

“Yes, _oh_.” Mothma snorted, shooting the General a look. She stood. “That’s a conversation for another day. I think this debriefing is over. Thank you for your time, Tessa. And yours, Patrice.”

Tessa and General Lauzon nodded. He moved to leave, and so did Tessa, but Mon Mothma stopped her.

“We need to talk.”

“About what?” Tessa asked nervously.

“It’s nothing bad, don’t worry.” Mothma smiled kindly. “Although you might want to sit down for this.”

Tessa grabbed the back of the chair she was sitting in for the debriefing just moments earlier. The metal legs scraped on the floor, making an awful _screech_ ing sound, and she cringed, sitting down.

“What is it?” She asked the other woman, whose smile had been replaced by a serious look. Mothma took a deep breath and sat back down.

“We have received news that the Death Star has been destroyed.”

“Oh.” Tessa said quietly. The Empire had lost their most precious weapon. For the first time in her life, she was overwhelmed by the prospect of the war actually _ending_. She might be able to live a life that wasn’t filled with fighting, or mission debriefings, or rations, or—

She swallowed.

Mothma continued. “Vader, along with Tarkin and all of the Empire’s well-known higher-ups were on it when it blew.”

“It… _blew up_?” She gaped at the Rebellion leader, her eyes as big as saucers.

“Yes.”

“ _Oh._ ” She repeated stupidly, her head spinning. Was the war _over_? Finally?

 _War_ and _over_ seemed like two words she’d never been able to imagine together in a sentence, but… it was possible.

“Tessa, are you alright?” She was vaguely aware of Mothma’s presence, her hand on her shoulder. When had the other woman gotten up?

“I, um,” She choked out, her heart beating quickly in her chest. What could she possibly say? “Is it over?” She finally asked, her voice hoarse and quiet.

“Not officially,” Mothma replied. “The rest of the Rebellion will find out any minute now.”

“Oh.” She said again.

 _War over, war over, this fucking war is over_ —

“I need to leave,” Tessa said hurriedly, getting up from her chair and running out of the debriefing room. The hallways seemed to go on forever, and she was almost certain she almost got lost at least once or twice, but that didn’t matter to her right now. Tessa dodged pilots and commanders, lieutenants and ground staff, almost bumping into them, but she really didn’t care. The dark gray tunnels were different from the white, snowy ones on Hoth, but she couldn’t help but wonder if this was how Scott felt when he ran to the command center to rescue her from the Empire’s attack.

She skidded to a stop in front of the medical center, replacing her hurried spirit with a casual walk. The room was full of Rebels with varying injuries or illnesses, that could be as mild as a cold or a small scratch or as severe as carbonite sickness or a lost limb. She spotted him, sitting up on a bed — _That’s good_ , she thought. _He must be feeling better._ He’d changed into (another) white shirt and a black jacket, and navy pants.

And then he _looked_ at her. Directly at her, not just in her general direction.

And his smile was so wide, so _relieved_ , that she felt her eyes begin to water.

Out in the hallway, someone (Mothma?) said something over the loudspeaker, and before she knew it, Tessa heard the stampeding of tired, relieved Rebels as they raced down the hallway, whooping and cheering, and she _knew_.

The Rebels’ fight against the Imperial Empire was over. _Officially._

And Scott would live.

Everything would be okay. The Empire was gone, and so were Vader and Tarkin, and she had nothing to fear anymore.

The stars in the galaxy would shine the brightest they had in a long, long time, and London, Ontario’s last princess would thrive.

**Author's Note:**

> Tessa’s characterization in this is inspired by both Leia and Rey. Both were/are Force Sensitive and Leia later trained as a Jedi, and ended up teaching Rey, both of which are shown in The Rise of Skywalker, the third and final film in the sequel trilogy and the ninth and final film of the Skywalker Saga.
> 
> Mon Mothma, Maz Kanata, Jabba the Hutt, Bib Fortuna, and the guards are all a part of the Star Wars universe.
> 
> Happy May the Fourth!


End file.
